COVID-19 on P.E.I.: What's happening Tuesday, May 26

The P.E.I. government's acceptance of seasonal residents into the province next month will include a risk assessment, Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Heather Morrison said in a briefing Tuesday morning.

The province has said it will start accepting applications for seasonal residents to come to the province June 1.

"There will be a risk assessment process that will consider not only where people may be coming from in this country, but our capacity to do that operation self-isolation their self-isolation plan. How good it is and firm it is, and even whether testing may be an option or a requirement for them as well," said Morrison.

Morrison said the risk assessments will be used to help ensure the province's health system is not overwhelmed as more people arrive on the Island.

There will be more details about this process available by the end of this week, she said.

Plan in works to allow visitors to long-term care homes

4 years ago

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P.E.I. looking to have "designated visitors having scheduled visits," says Marion Dowling of Health PEI

Graduation season

It is important for teenagers to take advantage of the ability to gather in small groups, said Morrison.

But she added it is also crucial that they continue to practise physical distancing.

"As grad season approaches, many young people want to get together and celebrate," she said.

"We need to speak to our teenagers about this and caution them to be careful."

P.E.I.'s chief of nursing Marion Dowling said the province will be presenting new guidelines during the Thursday briefing for visiting people in long-term care.

"I can share that we will be starting looking at designated visitors having scheduled visits, and outdoors if possible," said Dowling.

Recent stories

In the first day of an emergency spring sitting of the P.E.I. Legislature, theOpposition hammered the P.E.I. government on the decision to let in seasonal residents.

The 30-day limit on prescription drugs has been lifted, but health officials are asking Islanders not to stockpile their meds.

Some P.E.I. churches are preparing for religious gatherings in the next phase of the province's ease-back plan June 1.

In-school classes will not resume on P.E.I. until September at the earliest, says thedirector of the Public Schools Branch.

P.E.I. has had 27 confirmed cases of COVID-19. All have recovered. Nearly 6,000 people on P.E.I. have been tested.

Also in the news

• Recreational sport organizations are making plans for the summer with the release of public health guidelines on the weekend.
• A team of 28 Islanders from various backgrounds and organizations has been created to establish a plan for recovery and growth potential for the province over the next one, two, five and 10 years.
• Summer camps on P.E.I. have made big changes to their programs or been forced to outright cancel this yearbecause of COVID-19.
• Child-care centres are open again, and feeling good about it.
• P.E.I. Premier Dennis King and his PC government havesoared in popularity during the pandemic, according to a new poll.

Further resources

• Here isinformation for livingwith the COVID-19 pandemic on P.E.I. including information on government relief programs, physical distancing measures, andessential health services.
• Here arecharts tracking COVID-19 numbers and a timeline of COVID-19-related events on P.E.I.

More COVID-19 stories from CBC P.E.I.